


i'm hearin' what you say but i just can't make a sound

by Schriftstellerexcerpts



Series: tangled up in you [4]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 07:04:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21352189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schriftstellerexcerpts/pseuds/Schriftstellerexcerpts
Summary: “You just gonna stand there like a doofus on that ladder all night?” Wynonna asks.Nicole shakes her head. “If you want me to leave, you can just say so,” she says.“I want you to leave,” Wynonna says without even flinching.Nicole loses her balance a little and has to clutch onto the windowsill to keep herself from falling backwards. “You’re my swing,” she mumbles.“What?” Wynonna asks.“Nothing,” Nicole spits out before she starts to climb down the latter. “I’ll catch you later.”
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp & Doc Holliday, Wynonna Earp/Doc Holliday
Series: tangled up in you [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1524716
Comments: 8
Kudos: 121





	i'm hearin' what you say but i just can't make a sound

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all. 
> 
> In this chapter, Wynonna and Nicole go through a stage of growth in their friendship. Also, Waverly and Nicole hit a milestone in their relationship. A lot of troubles and triumphs in this one. 
> 
> All feedback is welcome. 
> 
> Thank you for reading. It truly means a lot to me. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“I think that we should get a puppy,” Waverly says softly, playing with Nicole’s hair.

Nicole stirs from her spot on top of Waverly. “Hmm?” She questions, her eyes still closed.

“I think we should get a puppy,” Waverly says again, pulling Nicole impossibly closer to her.

Nicole laughs and it echoes through Nicole’s apartment. “Yeah, okay,” she says, her voice strained by sleep.

“I’m serious,” Waverly says. “Don’t you think that it would be fun to have a puppy running around here? We could cuddle with it and give it kisses and take it on walks.”

“Baby, we’re both too busy for a puppy,” Nicole tells Waverly. “You’re still in high school and I spend five days of the week in the Big City at the Police Academy.”

“So?” Waverly says. “We could train it to not pee in the house or chew up things while we’re gone.”

Nicole untangles herself from Waverly and rolls over. “Baby…” she tries.

“Nicole,” Waverly says sternly.

Nicole pushes her hair out of her face. “Baby,” she tries again.

Waverly sits up in bed and crosses her arms over her chest. “Nicole Rayleigh Haught,” she says matter-of-factly.

Nicole smiles then. “You really want a puppy?” She asks.

Waverly nods. “Yes,” she says.

“Okay, can I just th-“

“Haught!” Comes Wynonna’s voice from the living room.

Nicole groans. “Why did we ever think that it was a good idea to give her a key?” She asks Waverly, her voice low.

Waverly shrugs. “You were the one who suggested that we give her one,” she reminds Nicole.

Nicole kisses Waverly’s bare arm. “You think it’s too late to revoke it?” She asks.

Waverly smiles. “Maybe you could trade it for some Whiskey,” she says.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Nicole says, winking at Waverly.

“Nicole,” Wynonna says from right outside Nicole’s bedroom. “Hey, it’s me.”

“Maybe if we’re quiet enough she’ll go away,” Nicole whispers.

Waverly smiles and hides underneath the covers.

“Hurry, we need to hide,” ten-year-old Waverly had told Nicole. “She cheats during this game. She only counts to fifty when she knows that she’s supposed to count to one hundred.”

“Where you go, I go,” Nicole had said.

Nicole grins and joins Waverly underneath the covers. “Where you go, I go,” she tells Waverly.

“Don’t think that I can’t hear the two of you whispering in there,” Wynonna says. “Okay, that’s it, I’m coming it.”

Waverly stifles her laugh and Nicole takes a mental picture of this moment. Waverly’s hair is in front of her face and she’s got one hand over her mouth to stop her laughing, but she takes Nicole’s breath away all the same.

“You guys had better not do what I think you’re doing underneath those covers,” Wynonna says from her spot right next to the bed.

Nicole peeks out from underneath the covers. “You caught us,” she teases.

“Gross,” Wynonna says, her nose crinkling.

“She’s kidding,” Waverly says, peeking out from underneath the covers. “Mostly,” she adds underneath her breath.

Nicole laughs softly.

“Enough,” Wynonna says. She reaches for the covers.

“Whoa,” Nicole says, trying to stop Wynonna. “Trust me, Earp, you don’t want to lift these covers.”

But Wynonna does it anyway and her eyes go wide. “Seriously, babygirl?” She asks Waverly. “Put some clothes on.”

Waverly laughs. “Nicole told you not to lift the covers,” she says, covering herself back up.

“I thought she was kidding,” Wynonna says.

Nicole gets out of the bed and grabs Waverly’s robe for her. “What can we do you for, Earp?” She asks.

Waverly quickly slips on her robe.

“We have plans to study today, remember?” She asks Nicole.

Nicole furrows her eyebrows. “No, we have plans to study tomorrow,” she says.

“I’m going on a date with Doc tomorrow,” Wynonna reminds Nicole. “We talked about this yesterday during the drive back home.”

Nicole thinks on it for a moment. “I don’t remember,” she admits.

“Dude, we talked about my date with Doc and how we should study today instead of tomorrow so it’s out of the way,” Wynonna tells Nicole. “How do you not remember any of that?”

When realization hits Nicole, her eyes go wide. “Oh,” she says sheepishly. “I think that conversation happened around the same time Waverly sent me a picture of-“

“Not listening, not listening,” Wynonna says, plugging her ears and closing her eyes.

Nicole looks at Waverly. “She’s a child,” she says. She turns back to Wynonna. “Earp,” she says, “look, we can study today. I just need to get ready.”

Wynonna unplugs her ears and opens her eyes. “Yet another time you forget about me because of Waverly,” she mumbles.

“What?” Nicole asks.

“Nothing,” Wynonna says, reaching for the door handle. “I’ll be in the living room waiting for you.”

Nicole furrows her eyebrows. “Wynonna,” she tries.

Wynonna shakes her head and walks out of the bedroom.

Nicole turns to Waverly. “What’s going on with her?” She asks.

Waverly shrugs. “Heck if I know,” she says. “She doesn’t talk to me about anything anymore.”

Nicole sighs. “Okay, well, I’m gonna hop in the shower,” she says. “You gonna be okay here by yourself for awhile?”

Waverly nods. “I’ll be fine,” she says. “I’ll read and maybe go over to Chrissy’s for a little bit. We just got assigned to work on a project together.”

“Okay,” Nicole says before she leans over and kisses Waverly on the cheek.

Nicole hops into the shower and sighs blissfuly when the water hits her face. Things with Waverly have been good; great even, but things with Wynonna have been on the rocks lately. Nicole recently moved into her own apartment and Waverly has been spending all of her time there. The two of them basically live together, though they’ve never had a conversation about it. Wynonna, on the other hand, has been distant and Nicole can’t help but think it’s because of the fact that she spends all of her free time with Waverly. She can’t help it. Maintaining a relationship is hard especially with someone who’s been cheated on, lied to, and left for the greater part of her life. It’s just the same with Wynonna, but Wynonna would never admit it.

Nicole closes her eyes and pushes her wet hair out of her face.

“C’mon, Nicole, she won’t find us way over here,” Waverly had said during that game of hide and seek all those years ago.

Nicole closes her eyes tighter.

“I love you,” Waverly had said into the darkness of the night when Nicole was kissing down the path of Waverly’s bare stomach.

“I love you,” Wynonna had said just a few weeks ago after the two of them got into a huge fight.

“I love you, too,” Nicole says, her voice echoing inside the walls of the shower.

Nicole finishes up her shower and heads into her bedroom when she’s done. She gets dressed in some joggers and an over-sized t-shirt before heading out to the living room.

“Coffee’s ready, baby,” Waverly tells her.

“Thank you,” Nicole says as she walks over to the cupboard and grabs her coffee mug. It’s the one Wynonna got her for her birthday last year. It’s navy blue and it says, “Future 5-0” on it.

Waverly grabs a pan out of one of the cabinets and sets it on the stove. “You want some pancakes, ‘Nonna?” She asks.

“That depends,” Wynonna says, “are they Vegan pancakes?”

“Well, yeah,” Waverly says, as if it’s obvious.

“Then no thanks,” Wynonna says.

Nicole takes a sip of her coffee. “I’ll take a pancake, Waves,” she says.

“I already planned on making you one,” Waverly tells Nicole. “See, Wynonna? This is why I like Nicole so much. She eats all of the vegan meals I make.”

Wynonna rolls her eyes. “Please,” she scoffs, “it’s because you’ve got her whipped.”

“She does not,” Nicole says.

Waverly turns the burner on and tries to hide her smile.

“Babygirl begs to differ,” Wynonna tells Nicole, gesturing towards Waverly.

Nicole turns to Waverly. “What’re you smiling at, huh?” She asks.

Waverly bites on her bottom lip to try and hide her smile.

“Waverly Earp,” Nicole says, setting her coffee mug down and walking closer to Waverly.

Waverly doesn’t turn around. “I’m not smiling, baby,” she lies.

Nicole reaches for Waverly’s sides and tickles her.

Waverly leans back into Nicole’s arms and laughs hysterically. Everything else seems to fade away and all Nicole can hear is the sound of Waverly singing “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga to her a couple of months after they got together.

_“That Arizona sky burning in your eyes,”_ Waverly sung. _“You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire.”_

“Nicole,” Waverly manages through giggles.

“Nicole,” Waverly had moaned her name the first time they ever came undone with each other.

“Nicole,” Wynonna says, her voice edging on annoyance.

Nicole’s heard that voice before. It’s the same voice Wynonna used when Nicole forgot that she made plans to go and see the new _Transformers_ movie with Wynonna and ended up going to see it with Shae.

Nicole stops tickling Waverly and rubs the back of her neck. Waverly kisses her cheek before turning back to the pancakes.

“How long do you guys think you’ll be studying?” Waverly asks.

“Don’t worry,” Wynonna says and Nicole cringes at the tone of her voice, “I won’t keep her long. I know you guys can’t stand to be away from each other.”

Nicole furrows her eyebrows. “We can stand to be away from each other,” she tells Wynonna.

Wynonna scoffs. “Yeah, okay,” she says.

Waverly flips one of the pancakes and turns to Wynonna. “What’s your deal?” She asks.

Wynonna shoves her hands into her leather jacket. “I don’t have a deal,” she says.

“Well, you can’t just walk up into _our_ apartment and start being rude to us for no reason,” Waverly tells her sister.

“_Your_ apartment?” Wynonna asks, raising her eyebrows. “The last I knew, this was Nicole’s apartment. You’re basically just a guest with a drawer full of clothes here.”

“Hey,” Nicole warns.

“I stay here more than I stay at Gus’,” Waverly tells Wynonna.

“That doesn’t make it your apartment, too,” Wynonna argues. “That just makes you co-dependent.”

“Wynonna,” Nicole warns again.

“I am not co-dependent,” Waverly says. “Nicole and I are dating, okay? We like spending time together. I _love_ her.”

“I know you love her,” Wynonna says, her voice cold. “You tell me every five minutes.”

“You know what?” Waverly says, her voice treading on complete anger. “I think that you should leave.”

“Waverly,” Nicole says.

“No, Nicole, she can’t just come in here and start acting all macho and mean for no reason,” Waverly tells Nicole.

“Once again, Waverly, this isn’t your apartment,” Wynonna says. “You don’t get to tell me to leave.”

“Nicole, could you…?” Waverly asks, gesturing towards Wynonna.

“Nicole,” Wynonna says.

“I…” Nicole tries.

“She’s my best friend,” Wynonna tells Waverly.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Waverly fires back.

Nicole goes to say something, but her nose is filled with the smell of smoke. Her eyes dart to the stove. “Uh, Waves,” she tries.

“And you think that trumps me?” Wynonna asks.

“Waves,” Nicole tries again.

“You know, Wynonna-“

“Waverly,” Nicole says, interrupting her. “The pancakes.”

Waverly’s eyes go wide. “Shit,” she says, turning back to the pancakes and shutting off the burner. “Great. They’re ruined.”

“It’s okay,” Nicole says. “We can make new ones.”

“I don’t want to make new ones,” Waverly says, slamming down the spatula.

“We can go to Shorty’s,” Nicole offers.

“You have to study,” Waverly reminds her.

“Right,” Nicole says.

Wynonna rolls her eyes. “I won’t make you choose, Nicole,” she says before heading towards the door and leaving. She slams the door behind her.

“Wynonna,” Nicole tries, her eyes filling with tears. She turns to Waverly. “I have to go. I’m sorry,” she says before she grabs her coat and heads for the door. She runs down the steps and tries to catch Wynonna before she gets on her motorcycle. “Wynonna,” she says when she sees Wynonna putting on her bike helmet.

Wynonna takes her helmet off and lets it hang by her side. “What do you want?” She asks.

“What do you want?” Wynonna had asked after she and Nicole got into a fight that revolved around cheating at Cops and Robbers.

“We have to study, remember?” Nicole says.

Wynonna laughs with no real humor. “Waves is waiting up there for you,” she says.

“_You’re_ waiting here for me,” Nicole says, her hands glued to her sides.

“She’s your girlfriend,” Wynonna says.

“You’re my best friend,” Nicole reminds her.

“I think we both know that word has lost all its meaning,” Wynonna says.

Nicole furrows her eyebrows. “It has?” She asks.

Wynonna blows out a breath. “You and I both know that our friendship hasn’t been the same for awhile now,” she says. “It’s Waverly this and Waverly that all of the time.”

“Yeah, well, it’s Doc this and Doc that with you all of the time,” Nicole fires back.

Wynonna’s eyes fill with tears. “You see?” She says. “It’s always going to be Waverly for you.”

“I love you, too,” Nicole tells Wynonna.

“You love her more,” Wynonna says.

“No,” Nicole says, shaking her head. “No,” she says again, her voice breaking. “You don’t get to do this. We’re fine, Wynonna.”

“No, we’re not,” Wynonna says.

“What’re you saying?” Nicole asks. She’s afraid of the answer because this is dangerous territory they’re treading on.

Wynonna’s chin quivers. “I won’t make you choose,” she says.

“Why do I have to choose at all?” Nicole asks. “She’s my girlfriend and you’re my best friend. It’s always been the three of us no matter what. What happened to that?”

“What happened is you fell in love with her!” Wynonna shouts and it echos throughout the parking lot. “You fell in love with her and you forgot about me.”

“I didn’t forget about you,” Nicole tries to assure Wynonna. “Wynonna, I’m right here,” she says, reaching out for her.

“Yet you’re so far away,” Wynonna says, flinching away from Nicole’s touch.

“Don’t you do this,” Nicole practically begs, tears streaming down her face.

“You did this,” Wynonna says, getting on her motorcycle, “not me.” She puts her helmet on and speeds off.

Nicole covers her mouth with her hand to try and stop herself from sobbing. It was never supposed to go down like this. It was always supposed to be her, Wynonna, and Waverly. That’s always been the plan. Sure, they’ve fought and made up, but this time it’s different. Wynonna’s never sounded so final before and she’s sure as hell never snapped at Waverly so badly before.

Nicole isn’t going to choose. She could never choose between the love of her life and her best friend. Truth is, she made a choice a long time ago. She chose _both_ of them. She vowed to herself that she would do everything in her power to make sure that didn’t lose either of them.

“They’re easy to love,” Curtis had told her one time, back when Nicole was in middle school. “But they’re so damn hard to hold.”

Nicole wipes the tears off of her face and walks back up to her apartment. Waverly’s sitting on the couch, her nose in a book. Nicole stops in the doorway and takes in the moment. Because she wants this. She wants Waverly to read all of the books she’s ever wanted to read and cook all of the vegan meals she loves. She wants to watch Waverly walk down the aisle towards her; towards their forever together. She wants Wynonna to be standing right next to her, promising to be by her side for all of eternity. She wants kids with Waverly and she wants to travel the world with her. She wants to holiday with Wynonna and Doc and Waverly. That’s always been the plan.

“What’s wrong?” Waverly asks, setting her book down.

_“Love is hell. Yeah, I know that shit. I be over shit, but I still can’t get over you. Do it all for you. You know I got you,”_ Phora sings in Nicole’s head.

Nicole bites her lips to stop her chin from quivering.

“Baby?” Waverly asks, walking closer to Nicole.

Nicole shakes her head, giving way to the tears burning in her eyes. “Wynonna,” she says so softly that Waverly almost doesn’t catch it.

_“Love is hell, but I’d rather fight demons with you than live amongst the angels without you. Baby, I can’t be without you.”_

“Wynonna, she…” Nicole stops, trying to gain some composure back. “She left me,” she says.

“What do you mean she left you?” Waverly asks.

“She left me, Waverly,” Nicole says. “She got on her motorcycle and she just left.”

“She’ll come back, Nicole,” Waverly tries to assure her. “She loves you.”

“No,” Nicole says, shaking her head. “She _left_ me. She…she _dumped_ me.” She pushes her hair out of her face. “She said it was my fault, then she just _left_. Now I need some air.” She storms back outside.

She gets into her car and blasts “Apologize” by OneRepublic. She doesn’t even care if the whole town can hear the song. Maybe they could hear her sorrow, too.

_“I’m holdin’ on your rope got me ten feet off the ground,”_ OneRepublic sings. _“And I’m hearin’ what you say but I just can’t make a sound.”_

Nicole decides to go to the library to study. She never goes to the library. She usually just studies at her apartment with the radio playing softly and Waverly right next to her, coaching her and asking her questions. Or she studies with Wynonna at Gus’s. The two of them study in intervals. Fifteen minutes of studying, then fifteen minutes of shooting hoops or singing at the top of their lungs to a few songs. The library sounds good right now; peaceful even. Maybe Wynonna will cool down in a couple of hours and call her.

When she gets to the library, she sits down at an open table and puts her headphones in. She doesn’t even hear the first part of the song because she’s too lost in her thoughts. She snaps out of it, though, when someone slams a book down on the table next to her. She takes her textbooks out of her backpack and sets them down on the table.

_“It looks as though you’re letting go. And if it’s real, well I don’t want to know,”_ No Doubt sings into Nicole’s ear. _“Don’t speak, I know just what you’re saying.”_

Nicole stares blankly at the textbooks in front of her and sighs. She grabs a pencil out and starts to write in her notebook.

_“So please stop explaining. Don’t tell me ‘cause it hurts,”_ No Doubt continues. _“Don’t speak, I know what you’re thinking. I don’t need your reasons. Don’t tell me ‘cause it hurts.”_

Nicole swallows the lump in her throat and tries to focus on studying. She ignores the texts that Waverly sends her asking her where she’s at.

Two hours later, Nicole decides she’s got all of the information she needs for her test on Monday. She packs up her things and heads back out to her car. When she starts her car, her phone starts to vibrate and she quickly looks at it, hoping that it’s Wynonna calling her.

It’s not.

“Yeah?” She says into the phone.

_“Nicole,”_ comes Waverly’s voice through the phone, _“where are you? Why didn’t you text me back?”_

Nicole shrugs even though she knows that Waverly can’t see her. “I was studying,” she tells Waverly, “at the library.”

_“At the library?”_ Waverly questions and Nicole can practically see Waverly’s eyebrows being raised. _“Okay, well, when are you coming home?”_

“I don’t know,” Nicole says. “I think I’m just gonna drive around for awhile.”

_“Do you want some company?”_ Waverly asks.

“No,” Nicole says all too quickly. “I mean,” she tries, sighing. “I just want to be alone for awhile.”

_“Okay,” _Waverly says.

Nicole pinches the bridge of her nose. “Don’t wait up for me,” she tells Waverly.

_“I’m worried about you,”_ Waverly says.

“Don’t be,” Nicole says.

_“She’ll come around, you know?” _Waverly says. _“She’s your best friend.”_

“You did this,” Wynonna had said.

“Yeah, okay,” Nicole says, her eyes burning. “Look, I’ll see you later, okay?”

_“Okay,”_ Waverly says softly. _“Nicole?”_

Nicole sighs. “Yeah?” She asks.

_“I love you,”_ Waverly says.

“I love you, too,” Nicole says, her voice cracking. She hangs up and throws her phone down on the floor of her car. She couldn’t care less about the stupid at this point in time.

Nicole ends up driving around for hours on end. She even parks her car in front of Gus’s house three different times and tries to urge herself to just go and knock on the damn door. The first time, she just stares at the house, picturing her and Wynonna playing basketball on the concrete. The second time, she chances a glance at Wynonna’s bedroom window. The blinds are closed, but the light’s on so she knows that Wynonna is still awake. The third time, she actually opens her car door and gets out, but she psychs herself out and gets back into her car. Now, she’s driving down main street. She decides to go to the lake and sit on top of her car.

“Weird seeing you here without one of the Earps,” Mercedes says as she approaches Nicole’s car.

Nicole sniffles and tries to wipe the tears off of her face before Mercedes can see them. “Hey, Mercedes,” she offers.

Mercedes leans against Nicole’s car. “Where’s that girl of yours?” Mercedes asks.

“At my apartment,” Nicole says.

“Why are you out here all alone?” Mercedes asks. “Usually you and Waverly come here to watch the sunset and you and Wynonna come here to skip rocks on the lake.”

Nicole shrugs. “Just one of those nights,” she says.

“I see,” Mercedes says. “Do you mind if I…?” She asks, motioning towards the hood of Nicole’s car.

Nicole scoots over. “For sure,” she says and Mercedes hops up onto the car. “What’re you doing here anyway? Aren’t you too fabulous for this ole place?”

Mercedes smiles. “I’m back here on fall break,” she says. “And before you ask, yes, New York is beautiful.”

“I know,” Nicole says. “My mom lives there, remember? I go and visit her sometimes.”

“Right,” Mercedes says. “So how are you and Waverly?”

“We’re good,” Nicole says. “She’s working really hard to be valedictorian and you know she’s the cheer captain now? I’m so damn proud of her.”

“You’ve always gushed about her,” Mercedes says. “I can’t believe that it took all of us so long to realize that you had feelings for Waverly.”

Nicole blushes. “I knew I loved her back in middle school when she dressed up as Rachel from _friends _for halloween.”

“I remember that,” Mercedes says. “She made you dress up as Ross. You pulled it off, though. You actually looked pretty killer in those leather pants and that button-up.”

Nicole laughs. “Those damn leather pants were so uncomfortable. Now I know how Ross was feeling during that one episode her wore them,” she says.

“And Wynonna went as Joey,” Mercedes says. “And Waverly spent the whole night calling you her lobster.”

Nicole rubs the back of her neck. “I guess I should’ve known her feelings for me on that night, huh?” She says.

“You’ve always been super smart,” Mercedes says. “Just not when it comes to Waverly. You act like an airhead when it comes to her.”

“I can’t deny that,” Nicole admits, letting out a shaky laugh. “She’s always made me nervous.”

“She’s your lobster,” Mercedes says, a smile on her face.

Nicole nods and looks down. “So how’s college?” She asks.

“Hard,” Mercedes says. “Totally worth it, though. I met this super hot guy. His name is Travis.”

“Cool,” Nicole says. “Wynonna and I graduate from the Academy in three months.”

“Should I start referring to you as Officer Haught now?” Mercedes asks, bumping her shoulder against Nicole’s.

Nicole smiles. “Just Nicole is fine,” she says.

“Okay, _just Nicole_,” Mercedes says, “you gonna tell me why you’re all alone?”

Nicole sighs. “I already told you,” she says.

“You still got all those walls built up, eh?” Mercedes says.

“I just don’t feel like talking about it,” Nicole tells Mercedes. “Tell me about this Travis guy.”

“There’s not much to tell,” Mercedes says. “He’s cute. We flirt. Typical, you know?”

Nicole nods. “Yeah,” she says. “So what’re you doing at the lake?”

“Same as you,” Mercedes says. “Just wanted some time alone.”

“For sure,” Nicole says, offering Mercedes a small smile.

“Did you hear Five Seconds of Summer’s new album?” Mercedes asks.

Nicole laughs. “You think _I_ listen to Five Seconds of Summer?” She asks, raising her eyebrows. “What kind of fool do you take me for?”

Mercedes raises her hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just trying to speak your language,” she says.

“Five Seconds of Summer is more Waverly’s language,” Nicole says. “I speak more of Kendrick Lamar and Joyner Lucas.”

“Dully noted,” Mercedes says.

The last time Nicole listened to Five Seconds of Summer, Waverly had put it on while Nicole was doing homework. Waverly stood there in just a pair of Nicole’s boxers and Nicole actually choked on her own spit when she saw her.

_“She looks so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear,”_ Luke Hemmings sang.

_“And I know now that I’m so down,”_ Nicole had breathed out.

The two of them sit there in silence for a few minutes. Nicole takes in the silence and appreciates it. Mercedes is still next to her, almost like she’s lost in thoughts of her own.

“Wynonna and I got into a fight,” Nicole tells Mercedes. “A huge one. Probably our worst fight ever.”

“What about?” Mercedes asks.

“Waverly,” Nicole says. “At least I think it was about Waverly. I don’t know. She just kept saying so many things and then she said that it was my fault.”

“Breathe,” Mercedes says, offering a soothing hand on Nicole’s arm. “Start from the beginning.”

Nicole takes a deep breath in, then lets it out. “Wynonna came over because we made plans to study for our test on Monday, but I forgot,” she tells Mercedes. “Then her and Waverly got into it and I tried to get Wynonna to stay, but she left. She told me that I did this and I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean.”

“Have you tried talking to her since?” Mercedes asks.

Nicole shakes her head. “No,” she says. “When Wynonna’s mad, she’s mad. She doesn’t like to be bothered. It’s easier to just leave her be and wait for her to cool down.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” Mercedes says.

“What?” Nicole asks.

“You should be over at her house right now,” Mercedes says. “You need to get all up in her face and talk to her.”

Nicole bites her bottom lip. “No,” she says. “Trust me, Wynonna doesn’t roll like that.”

“Just something to think about,” Mercedes says. “It sounds to me like you guys are long overdue for a talk.”

“We talk all of the time,” Nicole tells Mercedes. “We talk on the way up to the Big City and we talk on the way back. We talk on the phone, like, a majority of the time. And when I go over to Gus’ house to see Waverly, I stop in Wynonna’s room and talk to her.”

“Mhm,” Mercedes hums. “And what do you guys usually talk about?”

Nicole shrugs. “Music mostly,” she says. “And she fills me in on that biker gang. The Banditos or something like that. And I talk to her about Waverly and how I can’t wait to spend the rest of-“ She stops herself. “And I’m an idiot.”

Mercedes pats Nicole’s shoulder. “You’ve always been super smart,” she repeats her words from earlier.

“She thinks that I’m going to ditch her for Waverly,” Nicole says. “She thinks that I could never love her as much as I love Waverly.” She blinks the tears away. “That’s not true. I love both of them equally and they both mean the world to me. It’s always been the three of us.”

“I think Wynonna’s feeling a little left out,” Mercedes says.

“I’m such a douche,” Nicole mumbles. “I tried to keep her in the loop. I’ve just been so busy with school and Waverly that I didn’t even realize Wynonna was slipping away.”

“You see it now,” Mercedes says. “It’s not too late.”

Nicole nods. “I know what I need to do,” she says, hopping off of the hood of her car. “I have to go,” she tells Mercedes. “I don’t mean to cut our conversation short but I-“

“I understand,” Mercedes says, interrupting Nicole. “Go patch things up with your best girl.”

Nicole smiles. “Thank you, Mercedes,” she says. “We should get lunch before you head back to New York.”

“You have my number,” Mercedes says before she hops off of the hood of Nicole’s car and disappears into the darkness of the night.

Nicole gets into her car and grabs her pen and notebook. She starts to write, her tongue peeking out of her mouth as concentration takes over.

_Earp,_

_ Do you remember the day you called me your best friend for the first time? We were in third grade and you got pissed off when Eliza Shapiro was pushing me on the swing. You walked up to us and told Eliza to take a hike because I was your best friend. Eliza’s face turned the color of a tomato and you pushed me on the swing after that. From that moment on, I knew that you would always be there to push me on the swing. And you have been. You’ve been there every step of the way. You were there when I broke my arm the summer before we started middle school and you were there when Waverly and I got into our first big fight. You were there before I knew I loved Waverly and even after I knew I loved her. You’ve always been there to tell me to get my head out of my ass and buck up. You still push me on the swing. You push me to be a better person and you think you don’t have that affect on me, but, Wynonna, you do. You’re everything to me, you and Waverly. It’s always going to be the three of us, remember? She may be my lobster, but you’re my swing. Don’t laugh at the Friends reference. It’s a good show. I love you, Wynonna. You’ve always been apart of my plan. You always will be. It’s you and it’s Waverly. You guys get the best of me._

_ Love,_

_ Haught_

Nicole folds the piece of paper up before she drives to Gus’ house and walks over to Wynonna’s bedroom window. She grabs the latter that Wynonna keeps hidden by the shed for when Doc sneaks over and leans it up against the side of the house. She climbs it and taps on Wynonna’s window.

She hears the music Wynonna’s listening to turn off and footsteps approach the window.

“What’re you doing here, Doc?” She asks, her voice getting closer and closer to the window. “I thought you worked the closing shift at-“ she stops when she opens the window and sees Nicole. “Oh,” she mumbles, “it’s you.”

“It’s me,” Nicole confirms. “Look, I know that you don’t want to see me right now.”

“You’re right. I don’t,” Wynonna says over the top of her.

“But I just wanted to give you this,” Nicole continues. She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out the folded up piece of paper.

“I don’t want anything from you,” Wynonna says.

“Just take it,” Nicole pleads, shoving the piece of paper into Nicole’s hands.

“Whatever,” Wynonna mutters.

“Whatever,” Nicole mocks.

“You just gonna stand there like a doofus on that ladder all night?” Wynonna asks.

Nicole shakes her head. “If you want me to leave, you can just say so,” she says.

“I want you to leave,” Wynonna says without even flinching.

Nicole loses her balance a little and has to clutch onto the windowsill to keep herself from falling backwards. “You’re my swing,” she mumbles.

“What?” Wynonna asks.

“Nothing,” Nicole spits out before she starts to climb down the latter. “I’ll catch you later.”

Wynonna closes her window without saying anything. Nicole puts the latter back where she got it and walks back over to her car. She speeds all the way home and storms into her apartment. All of the lights are off, which means Waverly’s already in bed. Nicole doesn’t even realize how late it actually is until she looks at the clock on the stove. It’s nearly midnight.

Nicole locks the door, grabs a beer out of the fridge, and sinks into the couch. Maybe Wynonna will read that letter and call her. Probably not. She probably threw it away without even looking at it.

“I’ll write her a letter every damn day until she forgives me,” Nicole mutters to herself.

Nicole chugs the beer and goes to get a new one when the hallway light turns on and she hears the pitter-patter of Waverly’s feet.

“Baby?” Waverly calls out.

“In here,” Nicole says from the kitchen. She pops the cap on the beer bottle.

“Did you just get back?” Waverly asks, her eyes halfway closed.

“Yeah,” Nicole says.

“Did you talk to Wynonna?” Waverly asks.

Nicole shrugs. “Not really,” she says. “What’re you doing awake?”

“The bed is cold without you,” Waverly admits.

Nicole takes a swig of her beer. “I’ll come to bed in a bit,” she tells Waverly.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Waverly asks, leaning against the counter.

“No,” Nicole says.

“Nicole…” Waverly tries.

“I don’t wanna talk about it, Waverly,” Nicole says, more sternly this time. “You know, this whole situation could’ve been avoided if you wouldn’t have told her to leave.”

“What’re you talking about?” Waverly asks, raising her eyebrows.

“You always have to pick a damn fight with her,” Nicole says. “I understand that we’re together and we like spending time with each other, but Wynonna’s my best friend.”

“You spend time with her, too,” Waverly says.

“Hardly,” Nicole says. “You know, it took Wynonna walking away from our friendship for me to realize that I hardly ever spend time with her. Whenever I have free time, I spend it with you.”

“Wow,” Waverly says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that spending time with me was such a chore to you.”

“It’s not,” Nicole says, sighing. “That’s not what I meant. I meant that I need to start spending time with Wynonna, too. She needs me, too. I love her, too.”

“She spends every waking minute with Doc,” Waverly points out. “You don’t complain about that.”

“Doc’s been working a lot lately,” Nicole says. “Before she and Doc got together and before you and I got together, it was Wynonna and me all the time. She would be fighting with Doc or I’d be fighting with you, but we’d always have each other.”

“You still have her,” Waverly says.

“I’m losing her, Waverly,” Nicole says. She blinks away the tears forming in her eyes. “I can feel her pulling away from me. All this time, she’s slowly been distancing herself from me and I was too blind to see it.”

“What’re you saying?” Waverly asks.

“I’m saying that I need to find a balance,” Nicole says. “Before you and I got together and the three of us were friends, we had it made. There were no fights about who spent time with who because the three of us were together all of the time.” She takes a long pull from her beer. “I’ve been leaving her out without even knowing it. She’s my best friend, Waves. I have to make time for her.”

“I know, baby,” Waverly says softly. “I’m sorry for pissing her off so much earlier. She just irks me sometimes, you know? She gets all territorial when it comes to you. She’s always been that way.”

“I really don’t like being the middleman with you two,” Nicole tells Waverly. “It’s exhausting having to constantly decide between you and her. Why can’t it be like it used to? When all three of us were together all of the time.”

“It’s different now,” Waverly says, walking around the counter and closer to Nicole. “You guys are in the Academy and I’m still in high school. Our schedules don’t match up like they used to.”

“Yeah, but you still live at Gus’ with her,” Nicole points out.

“I spend all of my time here,” Waverly reminds Nicole.

“Right,” Nicole says. “Maybe Wynonna could move in?”

Waverly raises her eyebrows. “You haven’t even asked me to move in yet,” she says.

Nicole rubs the back of her neck. “You practically already live here,” she says.

“Unofficially,” Waverly says. “Plus, you and Wynonna used to live together when you still lived at your dad’s.”

“Exactly,” Nicole says. “Things were so good then. Wynonna and I spent time together all of the time and you would come over after school.”

“I was with Champ,” Waverly says slowly.

Nicole looks down.

“So things were good when I was with Champ?” Waverly asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

“No,” Nicole says quickly. “I’m just saying that things were good when Wynonna and I lived together.”

“So you’re saying that _I_ ruined your friendship with Wynonna?” Waverly asks.

“What? No,” Nicole says. “Stop trying to read between the lines. I just said that things were good when Wynonna and I lived together.”

“Before we were together,” Waverly says.

“Before things with Wynonna got so damn complicated,” Nicole spits out, slamming her hand down on the counter.

“Before we were together,” Waverly repeats.

“I can’t do this, Waverly,” Nicole says. “It’s a constant fight with you over everything. If you’re asking me if I regret telling you how I feel for you, then the answer is no. I could _never_ regret you. I’m just saying that-“

“You would choose Wynonna over me,” Waverly says, cutting Nicole off.

“No,” Nicole says exasperatingly. “I would choose both you and her over anything in a heartbeat. I mean, dammit, Waverly, don’t you see that? You’re both everything to me.” She sets her beer down on the counter. “So don’t you dare ask me to choose,” she says, her voice breakingon the last word.

“Why? Because you would choose her?” Waverly asks, tears burning in her eyes.

“I just told you…” Nicole trails off. “You know what? I’m not going to keep arguing about this with you. I _love_ you, okay? I’m not going to leave you and I’m not going to leave Wynonna. Like I said, I just need to find a balance.”

“Okay,” Waverly says, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s middle. “I’m sorry for freaking out.”

“It’s okay,” Nicole says. “I’m just so scared of losing her, you know?”

“I know, baby,” Waverly says. “I really think you need to sleep, though. You can figure it out in the morning.”

“You’re right,” Nicole says. “C’mon, let’s get some sleep.”

The two of them start to walk down the hallway towards the bedroom.

“So about that puppy,” Waverly says.

—

The next morning, Nicole wakes up far earlier than she usually does. She gets ready, makes some coffee, then writes a note to let Waverly know that she’s going over to Gus’.

When she gets to Gus’, she walks up to the door and knocks.

“Good morning,” Gus says.

“Morning, Gus,” Nicole says. “I came here to mow. Should be the last time until next Spring.”

Gus nods her head. “Have you eaten breakfast?” She asks.

Nicole shakes her head. “I’m not all that good at cooking. That’s Waverly’s thing and she’s still sleeping.”

“So is half the town,” Gus points out. “The sun hasn’t even properly risen yet.”

Nicole walks into the house. “I’ve always been an early bird,” she says.

“Don’t I know it,” Gus says. “You used to ride your bike over here at five o’clock in the morning so you could help Curtis out in the garden.”

Nicole smiles. “He taught me a lot,” she says.

“He loved you girls very much,” Gus says, walking into the kitchen to grab a plate.

“He was a good man,” Nicole says.

“The best,” Gus agrees. She puts some eggs on Nicole’s plate and hands it to her. “Go on and eat. You gotta have some protein in that body of yours especially if you’re going to try and push that damn mower across this lawn. That mower barely runs anymore.”

“I’ll take a look at it,” Nicole says. “There might just be a dirty spark plug or something.”

“Waverly sure lucked out with you,” Gus says.

Nicole sits down at the table and starts to eat the eggs. “I think I’m the one who lucked out,” she says.

“Thank you for always taking care of my girls, Nicole,” Gus says. “And me for that matter.”

Nicole swallows the eggs in her mouth. “It’s not a problem,” she says. “Is Wynonna home?”

Gus nods. “I assume she’ll be asleep for awhile. She was playing that racket that she calls music practically all night,” she tells Nicole.

If Nicole listens hard enough, she can hear The Fray singing loudly through the stereo in Wynonna’s room.

Nicole finishes her eggs and puts her plate in the sink. “I’m gonna go see about that spark plug,” she tells Gus before she heads out of the backdoor and into the shed. She pulls the push mower out of the shed and onto the grass. She finds the spark plug and smiles in victory when she realizes that she was right. It’s a dirty spark plug. She gets up and grabs the brake cleaner out of the shed and sprays it on the dirty spark plug.

She has to wait ten minutes until she can wipe it off so she spends that ten minutes writing another letter to Wynonna on the piece of paper that she had tucked into the back pocket of her jeans.

_Earp,_

_ Do you remember when you were learning how to ride a dirt bike and you kept falling off? You kept getting so pissed because you couldn’t figure out how to balance and turn sharp corners. But you didn’t give up. You never give up and that’s what I really love about you. It took you a month, but you finally figured out how to balance and turn sharp corners. I was so proud of you. I still am. You’ve come so far. I just want you to know that I will never stop being your best friend even if we can’t be. Ultimately that’s your decision. I understand why you got so mad. I was neglecting you and I didn’t even realize it. I know now. I want to do better for you. I don’t even know if you’re reading these letters, but if you are, listen to “Never Say Never” by The Fray 2:13-3:22._

_ Love,_

_ Haught_

She tucks the piece of paper back into her pocket, then wipes the brake cleaner off of the dirty spark plug. She pops her headphones in and smiles when the push mower starts with ease. She starts mowing to the beat of “Borderline” by Tame Impala.

_“Gone a little far. Gone a little far this time for somethin’.”_ Kevin Parker sings. _“How was I to know? How was I to know this dark emotion?”_

Nicole looks out at the garden as she pushes the lawnmower across the lawn. The flowers are wilted and new soil definitely needs to be put down. After Curtis died, all of them tried to keep the garden afloat but they all seemed to get busy. Nicole makes a silent vow to patch up the garden and get it back to the way that it was before Curtis died.

They all bonded over the garden. Like Gus said, Nicole would come over in the early hours of the morning and help Curtis water the flowers and he would teach her the difference between a weed and a seedling. Waverly would be the second person to come out. She’d always walk out in her pajamas and kneel down next to Nicole. Wynonna would be the last one to come out. She’d mumble a “good morning” then kneel down on the other side of Nicole. There’s actually a picture of them like that. Gus had sneaked a picture and it’s still hanging up in the kitchen.

Gus would always holler at them an hour or so after Waverly and Wynonna joined them and tell them that breakfast was ready. They’d all dismiss her the first time, too engulfed in what Curtis was showing them to even care to eat. It always took Gus three times to convince them to come inside and eat breakfast.

Nicole smiles at the memory and continues mowing the grass. Everything really was so simple when Curtis was alive. He taught them so much. Now everything just seems messy. Sure, Nicole and Waverly finally got together a year ago, but Wynonna and Nicole’s friendship is slowly deteriorating.

Nicole clenches the handle of the push mower tighter until her knuckles turn white. She pushes the anger and sadness she’s feeling down and mows the rest of the lawn.

When she’s done, she puts the push mower back into the shed and heads back inside for some water. She guzzles an entire glass before she fills it up to the brim with more water. She assumes Gus went into Shorty’s for a little while because her truck is gone. Nicole finishes her second glass of water and puts her glass in the sink.

She walks up the stairs and into Wynonna’s room to find Wynonna sitting up in her bed.

“Hey,” Nicole tries, the word almost catching in her throat.

Wynonna briefly looks up from her phone to acknowledge Nicole’s presence. “Hey,” she says blandly.

Nicole rubs the back of her neck. “Are you ready for that big test tomorrow?” She asks.

Wynonna shrugs. “I think so,” she says. “You?”

Nicole grins. “I think so, too,” she says.

“Sweet,” Wynonna says.

“Sweet,” Nicole says under her breath. “I just got done mowing.”

“I know. The sound of the mower woke me up,” she says.

“Oh,” Nicole says. She fishes in her back pocket for the letter. “Here,” she says before she tosses it onto Wynonna’s nightstand. “You probably won’t even read it, but it’s worth a shot.”

Wynonna glances at the letter and sets her phone down. “What makes you think I won’t read it?” She asks.

Nicole shrugs and tucks her hands into the front pockets of her jeans. “You’re pissed at me,” she says slowly.

“Yeah,” Wynonna says, “I am.”

Nicole nods.

“You’re my swing, too,” Wynonna says softly.

Nicole perks up at that, a smile forming on her face. “For real?” She asks.

Wynonna nods. “Of course we’re gonna fight, Nicole. You’re schtupping my baby sister and you’ve totally been leaving me out of everything.”

“I didn’t mean to leave you out,” Nicole tells Wynonna.

“I know,” Wynonna says.

“What did you mean when you said that I did this?” Nicole asks, leaning against the doorframe.

Wynonna shrugs.

“Wynonna…” Nicole says, her voice edging on pleading.

Wynonna sighs. “Ever since you and Waverly got together, you’ve been all about her,” she says. “I understand there are more commitments to a relationship than a friendship and you have to take care of her. Don’t get me wrong, I love that you take care of her and you’re always there to reassure her and I don’t mean to sound like an ass, but what about me? You’ve devoted your whole, entire being to Waverly and in the process, you’ve slowly been forgetting about me.” 

“I haven’t forgotten about you,” Nicole says.

“Yes, you have,” Wynonna says. “I didn’t notice at first, you know? How you’ve been keeping me an at arms distance away for the past year, but it’s all clear to me now. You’ve been forgetting about our plans. A couple of months ago when I asked you to hangout, you said that you already had plans with Waverly. You wanna know something? That’s been your same excuse every time I’ve asked you to hangout since. Or when I ask you to do something after we get back from the Big City, you say that you gotta get home to have dinner with Waverly. And, like, the two of you don’t even live together, but you’re up each other’s asses all of the time.”

“Okay, okay,” Nicole says. “I get it.” She runs a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize that I was doing that. It’s hard for me sometimes because I have to make sure that Waverly feels loved and reassured and if I’m not spending time with her, I feel like she’s going to think that I don’t _want_ to spend time with her. I get so caught up in everything and I know I’ve been neglecting you. For that, I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Wynonna says. “But I seriously think that we need to set aside some time to spend together. I also know that I’ve taken part in the distance that’s come between us. I spend a majority of my free time with Doc. We’ve both got relationships to maintain, but we still both have this,” she says, gesturing in between her and Nicole, “to maintain.”

Nicole nods. “You’re my swing,” she says.

Wynonna smiles. “Dido,” she says. “I guess I really should apologize to Waves for yesterday, eh?”

“Maybe we should all have a sorry party,” Nicole suggests.

Wynonna laughs. “Right,” she says. “Waverly would love that. I bet she’d even make hats.”

“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Nicole says.

Wynonna gets off her bed. “Is she at your place?”

“Yeah,” Nicole says, looking down at the watch on her wrist. “She should be up by now.”

Wynonna grabs her leather jacket and puts it on. “Alright. Let’s go,” she says.

Nicole grabs her keys out of her front pocket. “Can we make a stop somewhere first?” She asks.

“Yeah, you hungry or something?” Wynonna asks. “Because I could murder a stack of pancakes right now.”

“That’s not what I had in mind,” Nicole says.

—

“Waves?” Nicole calls when she walks into her apartment. “Baby, are you up?”

“In the kitchen,” comes Waverly’s voice.

“Wait here,” Nicole whispers to Wynonna before she walks to the kitchen. “There’s my beautiful girl.”

Waverly looks up from the morning crossword in the newspaper she’s working on and smiles. “Hey, baby,” she says. “You’re dirty,” she points out, noticing Nicole’s grass-stained jeans and her t-shirt with holes all on the bottom of it.

“Gee, thanks,” Nicole says. She leans in and kisses Waverly. “You taste like coffee.”

“That’s because I just had a cup,” Waverly tells her. “There’s more if you want some.”

Nicole shakes her head. “I had a cup at Gus’,” she says.

“Did you talk to Wynonna?” Waverly asks.

“Yeah,” Nicole says. “We kissed and made up.”

“Minus the kissing part I hope,” Waverly says.

“Maybe,” Nicole teases. “She actually rode over here with me. We actually came up with an idea.”

“Oh, boy,” Waverly says. “You and my sister came up with an idea? This oughta be good.” To take the sting out of her words, she winks at Nicole.

“Hey, now,” Nicole says. “We had an idea to have a sorry party.”

Waverly grins. “You know me so well,” she tells Nicole, leaning in for a kiss. “Oh, I need to make hats.”

Nicole catches Waverly’s wrist before she can walk away. “We don’t need hats, baby,” she says. “I do need you to put a blindfold on, though.”

“Is this like that one time in bed when we tried to do it like in fifty sha-“

“O-kay,” Nicole says, her eyes wide as she interrupts Waverly. “No, this is not like that. Just trust me, okay?”

Waverly nods. “Okay,” she says.

Nicole places the blindfold over Waverly’s eyes and ties it behind her head. “Okay, baby, I’m going to guide you,” she tells Waverly. She guides her into the living room and gives Wynonna the thumbs up.

“I’m real sorry, Waves,” Wynonna says.

“This would be a lot better if I could actually see you,” Waverly says.

“Just listen, baby,” Nicole says.

“The way I acted yesterday wasn’t right,” Wynonna continues. “I was really harsh to you. I know you probably want me to go kick rocks or something, but just know that I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Wynonna,” Waverly says. “I was acting like an ass, too.”

“So we’re good?” Wynonna asks.

Waverly nods. “We’re good,” she confirms. “Nicole, can I take this thing off now?”

Nicole smiles and unwraps the blindfold.

“I really don’t understand why I had to have that thing-“ Waverly stops when she sees Wynonna holding an all black French Bulldog with a white spot on its face. “Is that…” she trails off, turning to Nicole. “Did you buy a puppy?”

Nicole nods. “Wynonna and I went to the pound and found this little guy,” she tells Waverly. “He’s only a couple of months old and we’ll have to take him to the vet to get a check up, but-“

Waverly interrupts Nicole by kissing her hard on the lips. “I love him,” she says when the two of them pull apart. “He’s adorable. Thank you so much.”

“Of course, my love,” Nicole says, wrapping an arm around Waverly. “I was thinking that we could name him Lany because we both love that band and Paul Klein is such a great singer.”

“Lany,” Waverly says, smiling. “I love it.”

“Here,” Wynonna says, handing Lany to Waverly. “This is your mom. Well, one of them. You’ve already met your other mom. She’s a bit of a knucklehead, isn’t she?”

“That’s your Aunt Wynonna,” Waverly tells Lany. “Sarcasm is her way of life, but you’ll grow to learn that.”

Nicole smiles and pets Lany. “Welcome home, little buddy,” she says before she looks at Waverly. “Your mom and I are glad that you’re here.”

Waverly grins and leans in for a kiss. “I love you,” she says against Nicole’s lips.

“I love you, too,” Nicole says. “And Lany and I would really love it if you were here all of the time.”

“I _am_ here all of the time, silly,” Waverly says.

Nicole tucks a strand of hair behind Waverly’s ear. “I want you to have more than just one dresser full of clothes here,” she tells Waverly.

“I _do_ have more than just one dresser full of clothes here,” Waverly says. “I have some of my shirts hanging up in the closet.”

“Dude, she wants you to move in with her,” Wynonna says. “And I’m the obvious one,” she mutters.

“You want me to move in?” Waverly asks, raising her eyebrows.

Nicole rubs the back of her neck. “Yeah,” she says. “I mean, I know you haven’t graduated high school yet and you haven’t decided if you’re going away for college or not, but-“

“I would love to move in,” Waverly says, interrupting Nicole. “Oh, does this mean I can get that comforter set that I was showing you the other night?”

Nicole’s eyes go wide. “Uh,” she tries.

“Wynonna, you _have_ to see this comforter set,” Waverly says. “It’s, like, the cutest thing ever. Well, besides this hunk of cuteness I’m holding right now.” She kisses the top of Lany’s head.

“So much pink,” Nicole murmurs.

“Did you pick him up some dog food, baby?” Waverly asks Nicole. “I think he’s hungry. And he’s gonna need a doggie bed because I don’t think either one of us wants dog fur all in the bed.”

Wynonna pats Nicole on the shoulder. “You’re gonna love living with Waverly,” she says. 

“And a collar,” Waverly continues. “Oh, and a leash. He’s _definitely_ going to need a leash.”

Nicole nods. “I got him everything he needs, baby,” she assures Waverly. “It’s all in my car.”

“I s’pose that’s my cue to go on home,” Wynonna says. “Can I hitch a ride from you, red?”

“Actually I was thinking that you could stay over tonight,” Nicole says.

Wynonna stares at Nicole for some time before she says anything. “You mean it?” She asks.

Nicole nods. “I think we could all use a night for just us,” she says.

Waverly practically squeals in excitement and she hands Lany to Nicole. “I’ll get the blankets,” she says. “We’ll make the _best_ fort.”

“Fort?” Wynonna questions.

“A blanket fort, duh,” Waverly says, as if it’s obvious. “We used to make them all of the time when the three of us would have a sleepover, remember?”

Wynonna slowly nods. “Yeah, when we were in middle school,” she says. “We’re practically adults now.”

“You’re never too old for a blanket fort,” Waverly says.

“That’s her motto,” Nicole tells Wynonna.

Wynonna tries to keep a straight face.

Waverly gently hits Nicole on her arm. “You laugh, but it really is my motto,” she says. “Should I make some snacks? I have some vegan cheese and some crackers in the kitchen.”

“We’re good on the snacks for now, but thank you, baby,” Nicole says. “I’m gonna go and get this little guy’s stuff out of the car.” She sets Lany on the floor so that he can familiarize himself with the place. “I’ll be right back.”

“I can’t believe that she bought me a puppy,” Waverly says. “She’s the best girlfriend ever.”

Wynonna smiles. “She really is the best, isn’t she?” She says.

“Is someone actually going to admit that they _love_ her?” Waverly teases.

Wynonna clears her throat and puffs out her chest. “Who said anything about that?” She asks.

Waverly jokingly rolls her eyes. “Your aunt is a big softy underneath that facade of hers, Lany,” she says.

Nicole walks back inside carrying all of Lany’s things. She sets the bags down on the floor and shuts the door.

Waverly bounces up and down in excitement and runs up to Nicole. “Baby!” She exclaims, throwing herself into Nicole’s arms. “You’re home.”

Nicole’s taken aback, but she catches Waverly with ease. “Waves, I just went downstairs to get Lany’s things,” she says.

“Doesn’t matter,” Waverly says. “You’re _home_.”

Nicole holds herself back from saying that she’s always home when she’s with Waverly because she knows Wynonna will gag and make up an excuse to leave the room.

“Wynonna, get over here,” Waverly tells her sister. “Group hug.”

“No thanks,” Wynonna says, waving a dismissive hand.

“Wynonna,” Waverly says.

Wynonna sighs before she walks over to them and Waverly wraps her up in a hug.

_I’m definitely home,_ Nicole thinks to herself.


End file.
